The Darkness Cometh
by Nireena26
Summary: After hearing that Lord Transyl had escaped and is conquering an innocent world Ben, Rook, Hobble, and Rad Dudesman head out to the Anur System to meet up with Scout and some help that no one was expecting to see.
1. Author's Notes

Hey everyone! So this is my very first Ben 10 fic ever! I've wrote and rewrote this a lot of times but I think I finally found the version that I'm really happy about! If you are too please like and follow to make sure you stay updated when a new chapter comes out!

So, without further ado, I present The Darkness Cometh!

Also, be sure to leave a comment and tell me what you think and what speculations you might have! I would love to hear them!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ben 10 or any of the characters, locations, or anything canonly associated with it. All I own are Krystal, Aphelion, Roklas, and Anur Seraph.


	2. Chapter 1

Far out in the deepest reaches of space it was another quiet day on Anur Transyl until the sound of running footsteps broke the peace, causing a bit of commotion for the citizens. On the run from committing a robbery Kuphulu ducked through the crowds that were quickly forming when they heard what was going on and get a good distance away. Hearing what was going on Scout grabbed his gun and slung it over his shoulder, heading out to chase down Kuphulu and get back what he stole. Along the way he reached for his communicator and dialed someone that he knew that would be able to help. "Hey. I know that you're probably out and about but I'm sure you heard that Kuphulu was behind the robbery. Try to cut him off when you encounter him and I'll meet up with you as soon as I can." Getting the confirmation from his contact at the other end Scout hung up and continued his pursuit, having to stop and interview the citizens that had seen the robbery happen and where Kuphulu had gone off to, as well as what he had stolen.

Once he had gotten what he needed Scout took off again in his pursuit, wondering where Kuphulu went off to while he was taking care of his Plumber duties. Managing to slip away into the back streets of the village Kuphulu had stopped in an alleyway to catch his breath he looked both way to make sure that no one was coming before looking at the prize he took. "Soon my master's plan will finally be complete and he will finally rule all of Anur Transyl once again!" Starting to laugh at his triumph a sudden noise from overhead made him stop and look around in worry, quickly concealing the item he stole in the folds of his wrapping. Still looking wary he slitted his eyes as he continued to look around, getting the feeling that he wasn't alone. "Who's there? Show yourself! Now! If you dare try anything I swear I will make you pay for delaying my master's plans!" Starting to relax and figure that he wasn't alone another sound from behind him made him gasp once more and took off down the alley as fast as he possibly could.

Continuing to hear the noises as he ran through several more alleys Kuphulu was soon scared out of his life at could possibly be following him. Passing by one intersection Scout had finally caught up with him and gave chase. "Stop Kuphulu! You've got nowhere to run! Give up now and return what you stole!"

Looking back at Scout Kuphulu threw him a glare as he tried to pick up his pace. "Never! I have come too far for the likes of a Plumber to stop me now! Soon all of the Anur system will be under the rule of its one true master!" Letting out a triumphant laugh he was about to stretch his limbs and make his getaway when suddenly an unseen force punched him in his chest, sending him flying back. Landing in front of Scout the Loboan quickly held him at gunpoint to keep him in place so that Kuphulu wouldn't try to escape again. Looking up at Scout as he did that Kuphulu turned his attention to what had punched him as it stepped out of the shadows, absolutely shocked and confused as to what he saw and wondered how it was possible.

His light gray eyes glowing in the shadows he was hiding in the tall figure stepped out, a confident smirk on his face as he massaged his hands and stopped in front of Kuphulu. "Well then, whoever this master is going to learn real quick that his plans will be over before they ever have a chance to see the light of an Anur Seraph morning." Continuing to smirk the figure, revealed as none other than a living Vladat, rested his fists on his hips then looked up at Scout with an inquisitive look. "Glad you showed up in time, my good friend. I thought that I was going to have to chase him all over Anur Transyl before you caught up."

Smiling up at the Vladat Scout nodded as he lowered his weapon and kneeled down, arresting Kuphulu while fishing out the device that he stole from out of his folds and stowing it away on his person. "No problem, Aphelion. After all, if it wasn't for you showing up and helping to keep Anur Transyl safe from scum like Kuphulu I would be out of a job as a Plumber."

Heartily laughing at that Aphelion nodded while hoisting Kuphulu up to his feet and taking him back to Scout's base of operations. "Well, I'm just glad that I was able to convince you of my story before you blew my head off or else we would have both been in trouble."

The two laughing at that they left the area as the peace returned and settled over the area. That was until a pair of glowing purple eyes appeared in the shadows Aphelion came out from, looking very angered by what had happened. "So...after all of this time he is still alive. It seems that things will have to be...advanced if I am to make my grand return. Hmm, Anur Seraph... A bit dangerous but...oh, so worth the risk to twist it and bend it to my will." Letting out a cruel chuckle the eyes disappeared to head off and begin his nefarious schemes that brewed in the villain's mind that the eyes belonged to.


	3. Chapter 2

A fair distance away from the other planets in the system was the crystal-covered planet of Anur Seraph, home to the angelic-like race of beings known as Seraphinians. Long ago, they used to be connected to the other planets of the system by the web-like attachments but once the Vladats took over and the war began they cut their ties and moved the planet near the sun where they could be safe from the tyranny that raged. As well as protect all who lived on the planet since one of the Seraphinians' greatest weaknesses is negative and/or evil energy and was there a lot of it as the war continued on. Once the war was over and the Vladats were destroyed they had the option to return but to them the damage was done and they stayed away for their own safety and for the benefit of being closer to the light that helped to power the planet's immense crystal core and keep their planet burning bright. That was until the events that brought about Lord Transyl's return that nearly sent them all into a panic. But once they heard that he had been defeated by a young human bearing the famous Omnitrix they relaxed and felt safe once more. But they were quite surprised when they were approached by Dr. Viktor himself asking if they could have a special crystal coffin made out of the uv crystals that grew on the planet. Seeing this as their duty to keep Transyl imprisioned and guard him the Seraphinians agreed and handed it over, watching as their prisoner was set to face the sun and suffer his fate. And since then the peace of the system returned and all was well.

During another wonderful day on the peaceful planet Krystalline Domva, princess and royal heir to the throne of the planet, was out and about in the marketplace visiting with the cityfolk and catching up with them. To her she absolutely loved visiting with them and it brought her true joy to see them doing well and enjoying life to the fullest. Ever since she was young she was known to have a pure heart and a bright view on things and as she grew into who she was now she was seen as having a truly pure soul and a heart of gold. But even as someone as good-hearted as her had their wishful thinking and she always longed to go off-world and have a real adventure at least once in her life, to change up her usual day to day routine and have something new in her life. If she could at least get one chance to take it she knew she would and feel a true sense of freedom at long last. If only she knew how soon that chance was going to come for her to take, but not the way she expected it to be.

After she finished talking with a merchant and accepting a jesca fruit from him she smiled as she thanked them went on her way, rolling the fruit in her hands a bit as she felt glad that the merchant was doing well. Tossing the fruit up and watching it come down she looked across the street as she caught and saw a strange figure in a dark cloak disappear down the street that led to the outskirts of the city. Finding that very odd she looked around to see if anyone else had seen it but it seemed like everyone around was too busy with what they were doing to notice it. Knowing that it would likely be dangerous to follow after the figure she knew that if she didn't whoever it was may get away with doing something dangerous to the planet. Deciding for a few more moments while biting her lip in worry she made up her mind and followed after the figure, wondering what she was going to find when she caught up with it.

* * *

Meanwhile, a guard patrol was on their way to Lord Transyl's coffin to check and make sure that he was still there and suffering in the light of the sun. Flying up to it from behind all seemed well to them but they knew that looks could always be deceiving. Moving around to the front of the coffin they saw Transyl still in there, lowly hissing in pain in his weakened state. Figuring that nothing was amiss they were about to head back down to the planet when one of the guards noticed something peculiar about the Vladat. Flying closer the guard stared at Transyl for a good, long moment hoping to see the same thing happen again. After not seeing anything happen he was about to turn away when he saw it again; the Vladat's face seemed to distort ever so slightly before returning to normal. Getting a sickening feeling in his gut he quickly reached out to open the coffin and the moment he touched it the crystal it shattered into too many pieces to count, making the illusion of Transyl disappear at the same time. Everyone quickly ducking out of the way from the flying splinters they looked back and seeing that the Transyl they saw was a fake they were all scared out of their wits and quick to get back to the planet as fast as possible to alert the king of what was going on.

* * *

As Krystalline continued to follow the figure she was led past the city limits and through the giant crystal formations that covered the area she soon realized that this was the way to the entrance to the cavern the planet's core was located. Wondering why they were going this way she soon saw the figure stop in front of a strange device that was pointed up to the planet's sky. Getting a shiver of fear from that she quickly hid behind a large crystal formation and peered out, trying her best to listen in on the conversation that occurred.

Looking the machine over the figure looked over at a Transylian as he walked around to meet with the figure and bowed before point up to the machine. "All is ready, master. At your command the ray will shoot the Corrodium's energy into the sky, shrouding the planet in total darkness and weakening them at the same time."

Nodding the figure looked up at the machine and let out a low chuckle at how things were working out to his liking. "Excellent. Once this darkens the planet and brings their forces down it will be a simple snap to overthrow the king and the princess and take this planet for my own to rule as my new kingdom of darkness."

Shaking in absolute fear from that Krystalline tried her best to not let a horrified gasp at that, wondering why all of this was happening and who was doing this. Trying to figure out who the masked figure was her communicator suddenly went off, making her flustered while trying to pull it out and silence it. Hearing that the figure and the Transylian turned to see where it was coming from and were quick to be suspicious that they were being watched. Letting out a low hiss the figure quickly stalked over to where it was coming from, ready to destroy whoever was spying on them. Finally getting her communicator out and answering it Krystalline tried her best to stay calm. "H-hello?"

"Krystalline, where are you child?" Hearing her father's voice come over the other end he sounded very worried for her safety. "You have to come home at once. The guards discovered that Transyl has somehow escaped his coffin and may be somewhere on the planet."

Gasping at that she couldn't help but wonder if the figure and Transyl was the same person. "Oh no! That's...that's terrible! What...what are we supposed to do?"

"How about... complete and total surrender." Finally finding the source of the noise the figure hovered over Krystalline and glared down at her. "As well as suffering for finding out my plans too soon and ruining the surprise that I had in store for you all."

Gasping once more Krystalline quickly shot up to her feet and backed away from the figure as she was scared out of her mind. Hearing that from the other end her father called out to her in panic and worry. "Krystalline! Get out of there! Get out of there right now!"

Hearing her father Krystalline took off and ran for her life just as the figure launched himself at her to attack. Just barely missing her as she moved out of the way the figure snarled and quickly gave chase to her disappearing form. As she was running away Krystalline held up her communicator while looking back to see how far the figure was from her. "Father! Father, please! What do I do to get away from him?!"

"Just keep running for now, my child. I'll try to figure something out for you." Fearing for his child's safety the king tried to think as fast as he could to get his child out of the situation and to a much safer place.

Getting irritated by the second the longer the chase continued the figured called the Transylian while he continued to go faster. "Fire the machine! Now! It's time to finish this!"

Quickly flustered by the order the Transylian quickly scrambled over to the control panel and quickly activated the machine, firing the beam of Corrodium into the atmosphere, covering the planet in a cloud of darkness that blocked all the light from the sun. Looking up and seeing that Krystalline gasped in shock and pushed herself to go faster, feeling her fear and her anxiety quickly beginning to peak within her. As the figure was closing the distance between them all she could think of was that she needed to get out of there as fast as possible, then thinking of Anur Transyl and the Plumber that was there. The next thing she knew she felt her crystal wings appear and light up with a brilliant glow. Just as he was about to grab her the figure hissed in pain at the sudden exposure to the light and backed off to not get burned. Looking back at what was happening Krystalline gasped in surprise at what was happening and wondering what was going on. The next thing she knew she had disappeared in a flash of orange light as the area was blanketed in a wave of darkness. Seeing that happened the figure growled in rage and ripped off his cloak, revealing himself as Transyl as his purple eyes burned with his rage. "So, the princess has a new power that let her slip from my grasp. No matter. She will be in my power soon enough once I have her captured or force her hand to give herself up and come to me."

Meanwhile, all the way on Anur Transyl the citizens were going about their business at the village square when suddenly a flash of orange light filled the area, quickly grabbing their attention. As a group gathered around they were shocked to see Krystalline appear and drop to the ground in a frightened and confused state. As she quickly looked around and saw where she was she felt her heart break as she felt so afraid for her father and her people. Feeling bad for her a Thep Khufanette knelt down to her and gave her a concerned looked. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Looking up at her as she started to cry Krystalline shook her head as she felt her life crashing within her. "It's...it's Lord Transyl! He's escaped and taking over my planet! Please, I need help to save it before it's too late!"


	4. Chapter 3

Meanwhile, in Bellwood the famed Ben Tennyson was heading into the Plumber base with a smoothie in hand and taking a generous sip of it. Heading onto the bridge he saw that Max and Rook were standing in the middle of the room waiting for him. Thinking nothing of it he walked over to them and nodded to them. "Hey Grandpa, hey Rook. Sorry to keep you waiting like that."

"Ben, you're fifteen minutes late." A bit irritated Max gave his grandson a stern look. "You need to remember that you can't leave people waiting for you to come on your own time. Being on time can mean the difference between winning or losing a fight."

Knowing that Max was right Ben looked a bit ashamed and nodded. "Yeah, you're right Grandpa. I'll try to be more mindful of that in the future."

Seeing Ben's reaction Max gently smiled and rested a hand on Ben's shoulder. "It's alright to make a mistake, Ben. It's more important to learn from it and make better decisions in the future."

Seeing the smile on his grandpa's face Ben relaxed and felt better from it, glad to know that Max had his back no matter what. Relieved that things were better between the two Rook stepped up and motioned for Max's attention. "If I may sir, what exactly are we going to be doing as far as a mission today?"

"A good thing you asked, Rook. You see, we have a disturbance in-" Suddenly an incoming alert interrupted Max, drawing all three's attention to the communications hub. Being the closest to it Patalliday quickly ran over and answered the alert. "We're getting an urgent transmission from the Plumber stationed on Anur Transyl! And it's marked an emergency priority!"

"Scout? I wonder what is going on." Getting concerned for his Academy friend Rook led the way up the ramp with the others. Once they were all gathered he looked at Patalliday. "Can you please open the transmission, Magister?"

Nodding Patalliday opened the frequency and patched Scout through. Watching as Scout's face popped up on the screen Max nodded to him. "What's the emergency, Scout?"

"I've got bad news from the Anur system, Magister Tennyson." Sounding grim Scout had the same expression in his eyes. "Through an unknown plan Lord Transyl escaped the confines of his crystal coffin and has taken over Anur Seraph, the brightest planet of the system and home to the Seraphinians. As far as we know now he's overthrown the king and is using a machine that's casting a cloud of Corrodium over the planet to weaken its people and bend them to his power."

Unable to believe that Ben scowled a bit and scoffed. "Great. And I thought dealing with him the last time was hard enough." Then realizing something he gave Scout a quizzical look. "But wait. How do you know all of that if the planet's been taken over?"

Letting out a sigh Scout looked a bit more relieved to answer. "Thankfully the princess managed to somehow escape as things were happening and made it to Anur Transyl before she could be captured. I have her here with me at my base trying to recuperate from the ordeal. Please Ben, we need you and Rook out here to figure out how to stop this and save Anur Seraph before it's too late."

Seeing the severity of the situation Max nodded in agreement with the Loboan. "I believe that you're right on this, Scout. You're going to need all the help you can get to deal with this situation and I can think of no one better to help you than Ben and Rook. For good measure I'll send Hobble along as well since he won't be affected by Transyl's power."

"Thank you Magister Tennyson, I truly appreciate it. Ben, Rook, I'll see you two soon." Nodding to them Scout signed off to get ready for their arrival.

Nodding back Max looked over at the two partners with a serious look. "Find out when Rad Dudesman is going to be coming in next and get him to fly you two out to Anur Transyl as soon as possible. Tell him it's an emergency and that we'll pay whatever price he offers for the trip."

"Got it, Grandpa. Don't worry, we'll get this taken care of as soon as possible and restore Anur Seraph to its rightful glory." Nodding in agreement Ben felt determined to right this wrong and help the princess save her people and her people from Tranysl's despicable evil.

* * *

Back on Anur Transyl at Scout's hidden base Krystalline was resting on a cot next to a window while hugging her knees to her chest and looking up at the stars above. After finding out what had happened the Loboan Plumber quickly investigated it and getting the story from her he quickly took her back to his base to keep her safe and let her rest from the ordeal. Still out of sorts from it he left her be once he got the cot set up and made sure that she would be okay before leaving to make the call to Headquarters. Once she was alone she had settle herself on the cot and hugging her knees to her chest she stared up out of the window and continued to agonize over the possible fate her planet was suffering from.

After a while and deciding to check on her Aphelion carefully peered in on her without her noticing, knowing that seeing the likes of him wasn't the best thing for her at the moment. With the reputation that his race had at the moment only one look would send her into a terrified state of hysteria. And that was the last thing they needed on their hands at the current moment. As he looked in on her and watched as she glanced out the window he started to marvel at the innocent, pure hearted nature that she had and the heartfelt look in her eyes that pierced through the mix of worry and fear that clouded her orange gaze. Astounded by that he quickly felt his heart swell in adoration of her and quickly started to realize that he was getting head over heels for her. Feeling that he need to do something for her he thought for a few moments then got an idea. Walking away he headed to a kitchen of sorts and made Krystal a cup of hot jesca tea then disguised himself in an oversized cloak and gloves to hide his hands. Once he was sure that he was properly covered so that he couldn't see her he picked up the teacup and walked back to where Krystal was, knocking on the door to let her know that he was coming in to see her. As he did he cleared his throat a bit so that he could disguise the accent in his voice, just in case she would have recognized it. "Y-your Highness? May I come in?"

Hearing the knock at the door Krystal looked in wonder at who it was, not recognizing Scout's voice as the figure entered. Tilting her head at the outfit he was wearing she gently nodded to his request. "Oh, y-yes. Please, come in." Rubbing underneath an eye she turned so that she was facing him a bit more while she let her legs relax into a comfortable sitting position.

Feeling relieved at that Aphelion smiled underneath the hood that covered his face and walked over to her, presenting the tea to her. "Here, I...I decided to make you some jesca tea to help make you feel a bit better. I...I know it's not much but I hope that it does help..."

Glancing down at the tea then back up in surprise she gently nodded as she took it from him, finding the gesture quite thoughtful. "Oh, thank you. And yes, it does a bit." Smelling how wonderful it was she softly blew on it and took a delicate sip, feeling the warmth from it as it passed through her body and sighed. "Mmm, that's….that's really good." Softly smiling she looked up at him. "Thank you again. I….I really needed this." Then her smile turned into a saddened frown and looked down. "After…after all that's happened….I never thought that something this would ever happen to my home…."

Smiling Aphelion bowed in acknowledgement to her. "Of course. And good. I'm happy that it does." Then seeing the downcast look she got he knelt down so that he could see into her eyes. "Shh, please don't be sad your Highness. Things….things may seem bleak at the moment but I promise we will stop Lord Transyl from taking over your planet and ruining your beloved home. You just need to have a…a leap of faith that we will succeed." Remembering what Scout did he hoped that the news would help perk her up a bit. "But I know something that will help lift your spirits a bit. Scout made a call to the main Plumber base and was able to enlist the help of Ben 10 and his partner, and another Plumber, so that means we're going to have a fighting chance on our side once they arrive."

Hearing what he was saying Krystal looked up and gasped in surprise. "Ben….Ben 10 is coming? The actual Ben 10?" Feeling a wave of relief wash over her she felt never felt so happier in her life than at that moment. "Oh thank the crystal core! Knowing that he's on his way truly gives me hope that things may be returned to normal."

Nodding at that Aphelion smiled underneath his hood then gestured to her tea. "That's the spirit. Now, how about you finish up your tea and get some rest? It's going to be a while before Ben and the others arrive."

"Sure. I am going to need my strength so that I'll be able to meet them and help out anyway I can." Gently smiling she nodded back and finished off her tea, handing the cup and saucer back to him before settling down on the cot and making herself comfortable.

Continuing to smile Aphelion gently took the cup back and watched as she made herself comfortable, glad that she was feeling a bit better about what was happening. Leaning up he gave her a respectful bow that held a sense of care and compassion for her. "Rest well, your Highness. I'll be back to get you once Ben and the others arrive."

"Thank you. I'd appreciate that very much." Smiling a bit more Krystal nodded and closed her eyes, quickly falling into a light slumber while letting out a gentle sigh.

Feeling relieved at that Aphelion carefully set a blanket over her, making sure that she was comfortable before taking his leave. Quietly closing the door behind him he pulled the hood off of his head and sighed as he leaned against it, feeling washed over with a deep sense of love and adoration. He could just tell that by talking with her that he was truly in love with her and was willing to do everything he could to prove that he was nothing like his people as well as protect her with every ounce of power and strength he had in his entire being. He would make sure that Transyl would pay for doing what he did and ensure that Krystal would be able to smile happily once again.


	5. Chapter 4

Back on Anur Seraph the entire planet was now consumed by the clouds of Corrodium created by the machine, blocking the light of the sun from getting through. As such the entire population was quickly affected by the Corrodium's effects, weakening them and draining their energy to the point of being unable to use their powers. At the palace Transyl was sitting on the throne, reveling in the success of how his plan was working so far. Except for the little snag that was the princess escaping his clutches at the last possible moment. That was still burning at him and he was not happy about this whatsoever. Summoning his guards he ordered them to bring the king to him for questioning.

Being dragged from his cell to his throne room Roklas groaned as he was tossed to the floor at Transyl's feet. Shakily leaning up onto his arms he slowly glared up at the Vladat with a heated rage in his red eyes. "Wha...what do you want now, Transyl?... You've already taken everything from me... What...what more do you want?"

"No, not everything you fool." Standing up from the throne Transyl walked over to the nearest window and crossed his arms behind his back, staring out into the Corrodium filled clouds in the sky. "One treasure has managed to escape me, one that you hold the most dear to your heart. Care to guess what, or who, that is?"

Knowing full well who Transyl was talking about Roklas continued to glare at the Vladat as he struggled to his feet. "Yes, I know exactly who. I'm just thankful she got away from you before your evil had a chance to hurt her in any way possible."

Snapping his head around at that Transyl snarled and leaped onto Roklas, slamming him to the ground and gripping his throat tight. "That wasn't supposed to happen! She was within my grasp and someone she was able to...to disappear or teleport away from me at the last second! How did she do that?! How?!"

Grunting from the fall and groaning as he tried to get Transyl's grip off of his throat Roklas suddenly froze in shock, not knowing that that had happened. "S-she...she did wh-what?... That's...that's im-impossible! No...no Seraphinian can do s-something like that!"

Gripping Roklas' throat tighter Transyl hissed in annoyance and aggravation at that. "But she still managed to do it! Teleportation or no teleportation I will get her back and she will be mine! No one escapes from my power! No one!" Shaking Roklas' head a few times he let the king's throat go and got up, turning away. "Guards, take him away! I'm through with him!"

Quickly grabbing Roklas' arms and hoisting him up the guards took him away as the king struggled to break free in his rage. "No, never! Never! I won't have it! She will never be yours! I'll make sure of that!"

As he was dragged away and silence filled the room once more Transyl faced the window from before and gripped the sill so tight it started to crack from his strength. "That...that utter fool. He will eat his words when I have the princess in my grasp. Even if I have to find her myself." Letting go of the sill he returned to the throne and sat down, mulling over where she could have possibly have gone. And as he did there was only one place that stuck out in his mind. "If that's the case...then I know exactly how to get to her."

Pulling out a communication device he patched himself through to Kuphulu, who was sitting in a cell in Scout's base in a dull and despondent state. Suddenly feeling his hidden communication device buzzing with a call Kuphulu looked around to see if that miserable Plumber or the Vladat were around then unraveled himself and pulled it out. Wrapping himself back together he answered and saw that it was Transyl calling. "My lord! What...what is it that you need?"

"I need you to escape that wretched cell that you're in, and yes I know you're in a cell. Word gets around. I order you to get out of there, kidnap the princess that fled from Anur Seraph, and bring her to the outskirts of town where I will be waiting for you two. It has to be done as soon as possible. Understand?" Glaring at Kuphulu on the other side of the call Transyl was firm and direct with his order, not wanting this to fall through and have the princess slip through his clutches again.

Quickly feeling intimidated by the order Kuphulu quickly nodded in agreement with a wide eye look. "Y-yes, my lord! It will be done! When will you be here?"

"As soon as possible. I have to make sure that none of these fools try to undo my work while I'm gone." Nodding to Kuphulu Transyl's purple eyes glowed in annoyance at the thought. "Whatever you do, do not be late. Got it?"

Feeling a bit terrified, clearly getting the hint behind the question, Kuphulu nodded once more. "Yes, my lord. I will not be late!"

"Good." With that Transyl ended the call and put his communication device away then leaned back into the throne and steepled his fingers together, carefully formulating his plans for when his long sought prize would be in his grasp at last. "Soon, my dear, you will pay for escaping me and you will suffer greatly for your mistake. As well devastate your father and your people for ages to come."


	6. Chapter 5

Sometime later the Lovely Duck was hurtling through space, making good time on its way to Anur Transyl. On board Ben and Rook were playing a round of go fish while Rad Dudesman was driving and Hobble was in the passenger seat, freaking out as usual. While waiting for Rook to make his move Ben looked over at Rad with a light smile. "Thanks for doing this, Rad. We really owe you one for being able to drop your last job to take us back out to Anur Transyl."

"It's no problem, especially with the very nice payment you gave me from the Plumbers." Glancing over his shoulder at Ben Rad nodded with a particularly nice smile, happy to receive the large amount to do something like this at such short notice.

Asking Ben if he had any sevens and getting two cards from a disgruntled Ben Rook nodded to Rad. "Of course. A mission such as this takes top priority in the Plumbers standards and we have to do everything in our disposal to take care of it as soon as possible."

"True, but why did I have to come?" Looking back at the others Hobble let out a terrified whine as his antenna hung down behind his head in worry. "I'm...I'm sure that you guys would have been able to handle this without me."

Softly rolling his eyes and shaking his head Ben looked over at Hobble and gave him a reassuring look. "For one Hobble, you can't get affected by Transyl's Corrupturas and two, Grandpa Max wouldn't have assigned you to the mission if he didn't think you had what it takes to handle something like this."

"Ben is right, Hobble." Nodding in agreement with what Ben had said Rook took a card from the draw pile and shuffled it into his hand. "Magister Tennyson knows how you were able to handle yourself the last time we faced Transyl and the others and how your species is immune to his controlling abilities. He is confident that you can handle yourself again and be able to help us stop Transyl once more."

A bit surprised by that Hobble blinked his eyes a few times and relaxed, feeling a bit motivated by that. "Oh... Huh. I...I guess that if Magister Tennyson believes that I can then...then maybe I can too."

"That's the spirit, Hobble. Just keep remembering that and you should be just fine." Relieved that Hobble was finally calming down Ben nodded with a relieved smile. Then looking down at his hand he smirked and looked up at Rook. "So, Rook. Got any-"

At that moment Pixi popped up from the control panel and spoke in her cryptic language, telling them that they had arrived in Anur Transyl's atmosphere. Confirming that Rad nodded as he punched a few buttons on the console. "Right. Thanks, Pixi. Everyone, strap yourselves in and prepare to land."

Groaning at having to stop the game Ben sighed and nodded, throwing his hand onto the box and sat back down into his seat and buckled in while Rook gathered and packed the cards away before doing the same himself. With Hobble following suit Rad brought his ship down through the atmosphere and safely landed outside of the village. Powering the ship down Rad lowered the gangplank and led the way out, seeing Scout walking towards them. "Hello everyone. It's good to see you again. I'm glad you could make it out as soon as you could."

Waving to Scout as he approached Ben nodded. "No problem. Grandpa Max understood how severe the situation was and made sure he got us out here as fast as possible."

Nodding in return Scout turned and led the group back to his base while avoiding the main streets so as not to attract too much attention to them. "Good. With an entire planet in danger the sooner you all got here the better it would be."

Turning down a familiar alleyway Scout glanced at the group as he continued to speak. "Before we go any further with the situation at hand I do need to tell you that I've gotten a...partner of sorts who's been helping me since he...showed up on the planet."

"Really?" Surprised at that Rook gave his friend a curious and wondering look. "Who might it be? Another Plumber that decided to give you a hand in your mission?"

Turning down another alleyway that led to the entrance to his base Scout looked back and shook his head. "Not...exactly. Let's just say that he's definitely not what you're going to expect seeing the moment you first meet him." Opening the door he let everyone in and called out while he closed the door behind them. "Aphelion, they're here!"

Hearing that Aphelion came out from one of the rooms and met everyone as they gathered in the main room. "Ah, hello there! A pleasure to meet you all!"

The moment the group saw Aphelion for the first time they gave a collective gasp of shock and surprise, clearly not expecting to see that he was a Vladat. Especially Hobble who let out a cry of terror and hid behind Rad who quickly glared at the bug-like Plumber for a moment then looked back at the Vladat. Very surprised at seeing what Scout meant Ben tried to figure out how this was possible. "Whoa, whoa, wait. How is this even possible? I thought Transyl was the last Vladat alive. Where...where did you come from?"

Expecting the question to come Aphelion sighed and rubbed the back of his head while placing his other hand on his hip. "To be honest It's a rather...interesting story to tell. You see, I'm the only Vladat to rebel against my species' nature to help others because I saw through the hate and the evil and all the wrong we were doing during the war. As such I felt that it was my duty to help those in need to escape my people's wrath and tyranny while becoming who I truly am: a being who would much rather be a lover than a fighter and care for those around me instead of subjecting them to slavery and nourishment. At the same time I had mentally conditioned myself to control my hunger for energy so that I wouldn't harm anyone that I was trying to help by accident."

As he spoke the memories of what happened so long ago flooded his mind and winced as the more sour ones flashed across his eyes. "However, my efforts were soon found out and I was punished by none other than Transyl himself. For my crimes he had me locked up in an impenetrable coffin and buried me deep below the surface of the planet, never to be seen or heard from again. To be honest I don't know which was worse, being stuck in a very confined space for ages on end or the fact that I would never see my friends ever again or know what was going on up above. Well, as time went on I soon fell into a deep sleep and all sense of time soon fell away from me. Then the next thing I know my prison had been mysteriously unlocked and I was emerging in a dazed and confused state. I have no idea what happened or what caused my coffin to be unlocked but all that I knew was that my sense of revenge took over and I wanted to take it out on Transyl for what he did to me."

Taking a moment he let out a haggard breath to calm himself down before he continued on. "However, I discovered that over the years my coffin had somehow fallen through the ground and into a cave below the planet's surface. Seeing this as a strange predicament I chose to follow one of the ends of the tunnel to see where it would lead me. After walking for some time, due to how weak I was from a lack of nourishment, I soon found that I had reached the opening of the cave. Feeling very relieved at that I made my way back to the village and saw to my shock and surprise that everyone was living a happy and peaceful life with no Vladats around whatsoever. Being unsure of what was going on I knew that I had to get out of sight for the time being so that I wouldn't cause a panic just in case a number of things that might happen. As I did I ran into an old friend that was still alive who recognized me and was very relieved to see me alive as well as I was. Getting me home he explained to me what had happened with the war being over and the recent events that happened when Transyl was brought back by the Ectonurite Zs'Skayr and his cohorts. And how you stopped them all and saved the Anur system, Ben. I must say, even with the townsfolk calling you a monster in turn, you truly have done a great deed for us all that we all must truly appreciate, in one way or another."

A bit unsure by that Ben got a somewhat confused look on his face as he nodded while getting a nervous drop of sweat down his face. "Uh, thanks. I guess."

Nodding in return Aphelion glanced at Scout and smirked a bit before looking at the others. "It was a short time later that I accidentally ran into Scout who mistook me for an escaped Transyl and I had to explain to him what had happened to me. Once we got on even terms with each other he told me about who he was as a Plumber and the organization he worked for and I found it very fascinating. I asked if I could team up with him so that I could continue my work to help those who need it while at the same time help him with his personal mission to prepare our planet to accept the Plumbers' protection from all the evil in the universe who would dare threaten our home."

Smirking as well Scout nodded as he looked over at the others. "It's true. Since we teamed up much of the small time criminal activity has decreased to almost nothing and It's been nothing but peace ever since. Just before all of this madness occurred we were able to capture Kuphulu as he was stealing something from one of the shops in town."

Rather impressed Rook smiled and nodded. "Well done. I am glad that you were able to find someone to help you, Scout. I bet you are glad that you have a partner to help you now and not be alone in what you want to do to help your people."

"Yeah. It's definitely given me hope that one day soon our people will be able to unite and unanimously decide to enter the Plumbers' Union and accept their protection." Smiling back Scout nodded and walked over to his close friend, clapping him on the back in appreciation for the comment.

Smiling a bit himself Ben nodded and looked back at Aphelion. "Yeah. I gotta say, knowing that you're on our side will definitely be a big advantage to us when we go take down Transyl again and save the planet he's trying to take over. Speaking of which, where's the princess? Might as well get started so that we can get her back home safe and sound."

Nodding Aphelion pulled on his disguise and made sure that it was properly covering himself. "Of course. Here, let me go get her and bring her out. She may still be resting as we speak."

Getting confused at what he was doing Hobble tilted his head as he watched. "Uh, what's...what's that for? I...I thought you said that you were going to get the princess."

"Yes, that's right." Looking at Hobble with a gentle look Aphelion nodded as he lifted the oversized hood of his cloak over his head. "I'm doing this so that she doesn't get frightened by me and get sent into a state of panic. I think having to see the most feared Vladat trying to capture her is enough for one lifetime. And...and I don't think I can bear to frighten her any more than what she already is at this point."

Realizing that Hobble felt bad for Krystal and nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see. Poor thing. She must be so worried about what's happening to her home."

"Indeed she is, my little friend. Indeed she is." Nodding in agreement with a grave look in his gray eyes Aphelion set the hood down and adjusted it so it covered his head properly so it couldn't be seen.

Just as he turned the corner to head to her room he gasped as he saw Kuphulu struggling to get Krystal out of her room, shocked that he had gotten out of his cell and was doing this. Growling in rage he called to the others while going after him. "Kuphulu's escaped! And he's trying to kidnap the princess! Let's go!"

Shocked to hear what was happening the others quickly followed after Aphelion who was catching up with the mummy. Still struggling to restrain the princess so that he could get out of there Kuphulu gasped when he saw the cloaked Aphelion coming straight for him and knew that he had to act now or else Transyl was going to have his bandages for being late. Glaring at the others as they rounded the corner Kuphulu quickly sent a few of his bandage tendrils straight at them, knocking Scout, Rad, and Hobble back while Ben, Rook, and Aphelion managed to dodge and kept coming. Groaning at that Kuphulu suddenly got an idea and using one of his tendrils he managed to snag Aphelion's hood and pulled it back, revealing himself to Krystal's widening gaze.

Mortified that this happened Aphelion looked Krystal right in the eyes and felt absolutely crushed that she had to see him as he was, especially in this situation. Absolutely shocked herself that Aphelion was a Vladat Krystal froze in shock for a few moments before letting out a muffled scream in terror as a few tears of terror leaked from her orange eyes. Seeing that happen as well Ben and Rook stopped, gasping in shock at the scene playing before them while the Vladat's words from just before rang through their minds at what he didn't want to do.

Seeing that his plan had worked Kuphulu grabbed the three of them with his tendrils and flung them behind him, his eyes holding the confident look of success as he let them go and ran for the door while holding Krystal close. "Fools! Trusting that traitor has led to your doom! Now my master will have what he wants and no one can stop him!" Bursting through the door he ran through the alleyways to get to the outskirts of town as fast as he possibly could.

Recovering from the fling Ben shook his head as he heard that and glanced up with a determined look on his face, quickly helping the others up and running out after the mummy. "Not a chance, Kuphulu! We're going to stop you and Transyl before either of you have a chance to harm anyone ever again!" Looking down at the Omnitrix he activated it and turned the dial to the alien he had in mind for this. "Alright Omintrix, I could really use XLR8 right now! This is an emergency!"

Seeing that he had XLR8's image highlighted he let the dial slide up then slammed it down, quickly feeling the familiar transformation into one of his many alien forms. However the alien that he got transformed into wasn't exactly the one he wanted. Instead he got transformed into was Astrodactyl and the moment he realized what happened Ben groaned in annoyance as he looked himself over. "Great. Thanks, Omnitrix. Always giving me the wrong alien as usual. Why do I even bother?" Letting out a caw he took to the air and flew after Kuphulu as fast as he could with the others following his trail below.

Having a good lead over his pursuers Kuphulu made it out of the maze of alleyways, quickly pushing through a small crowd of citizens that had gathered, causing a bit of an uproar from them that he promptly ignored as he ran to the rendezvous point to meet with Transyl. Coming out a few moments later Aphelion was in the lead as he saw what had happened and went up to a Thep Khufan. "Excuse me, you didn't happen to see another Thep Khufan running through here with-"

"He went that way if that's what you want to know. It was just a few minutes ago so you may have a chance to catch up with him." Knowing exactly what Aphelion was asking the Thep Khufan pointed to where Kuphulu went to, still looking quite disgruntled at being almost bowled over.

"Thank you." Nodding Aphelion led the others along while looking up at Ben and directing him where to go to get ahead. "Ben, go that way! Hurry! You may be able to catch up faster than we can!"

"Raww, I'm on it!" Giving the Vladat a thumbs up Ben used his turbo boost to propel himself forward, searching the ground for any signs of Kuphulu. Then seeing the mummy a short distance away down below he was about to swoop down when he looked up and saw where Kuphulu was going and gasped. Up ahead a sleek spaceship was landing near the edge of town and by the design he could only guess that it was from Anur Seraph. Watching as it landed he gasped in shock as the gangplank lowered and Transyl floated out of it, waiting for Kuphulu to meet him. Knowing he had to move he called back to the others before speeding up. "Raww, guys we need to move! Transyl's here and Kuphulu's nearly there!"

Hearing that Aphelion gasped in shock and growled, quickly feeling his need for revenge take him over and felt his gray eyes burn brightly with his rage. "That fool… He's going to pay for all that he's done!" Jumping up he took to the air himself and used all of his strength to propel himself forward, hoping to get to Transyl before it was too late.

Seeing Transyl coming out of the ship once it landed Kuphulu quickly picked up his speed, looking behind him to see how far back his pursuers were behind him. Seeing how fast Aphelion was coming up he gasped then grabbed a few things that he passed with his tendrils and threw them back hoping to slow him down and get the advantage. Giving it his all in the last few feet he finally reached Transyl and skidded to a stop, setting Krystal down while keeping her restrained while letting out a few deep breaths to recover from the chase. "I…I'm here…Master. Just…just like you asked…"

Smirking Transyl nodded then snapped his fingers, mentally commanding two Seraphinians he had under his control to stand behind Kuphulu and create a wall of crystal to block the others from getting to them. "Excellent, Kuphulu. Now, to make sure that no one interrupts us before we depart."

Seeing what was happening Ben quickly flew in while activating his whips and started to beat against the wall, hoping to break it down but wasn't having a lot of luck. When the others finally caught up Aphelion landed beside them then looked up at Ben with a disgruntled look. "Um, Ben? You do know that you can fly over the wall to get to them, right?"

Seeing what he meant Ben nervously chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Uh yeah, sure. I…I knew that." Composing himself he quickly flew up over the edge and just as he looked over he quickly pulled back as a few large crystal shards were shot at his head from the controlled Seraphinians. Seeing that happen Rook gasped and got worried for his partner. "Ben! Are you alright?!"

"Raww, yeah! Except for almost getting my head sliced off!" Getting over nearly getting hurt Ben looked down at them to tell them what was going on. "Transyl's got two of the princess's people under his control and they're on guard for anything that might come over the wall!"

"Then perhaps it would be best if you come down and turn into either Big Chill or Ghostfreak so that you can phase through the wall and get to the other side." Quickly thinking of the two aliens that could be useful Rook called them up to Ben, hoping that he would agree.

Figuring that Rook was right Ben nodded and descended to the ground. "Sounds good to me! We don't know how long we have until Transyl takes off with the princess!"

Watching as the Seraphinians pushed Tennyson away Transyl smirked then looked down at the princess who was cowering in absolute terror at seeing him once more. Motioning for Kuphulu to make her stand up he gripped her arms to keep her from escaping he pulled her close as a dark chuckle escaped his throat. "So you thought you could escape me so easily like that, my dear? Oh, what a mistake that was to make. Now that you're mine I'm afraid that the punishment you'll have to get will be painful indeed."

Pretty much frozen in terror at being so close to Transyl Krystal whimpered in absolute fear at what sort of punishment he had in mind. "Wh…why? I…I didn't e-e-even kn-know that I…I c-could d-d-d-do something like…like that. Please…. Please be m-merciful…."

Chuckling even more at that Transyl shook his head as he looked deep into her eyes and began to hypnotize her. "I'm sorry my dear but I'm afraid mercy isn't something that I have in store for you. And what I have in store will truly be a nightmare that you will never be able to escape."

Quickly feeling his power invade her mind and try to take over her mind Krystal tried to fight it back as much as she could. But with her overly increased level of fear and panic being so high she was quickly losing the fight, and when her strength gave out she felt herself lost in his power before she lost consciousness and slumped against Transyl. Smirking at that Transyl picked her up bridal style and headed back onto the ship, summoning the Seraphinians to him while speaking to Kuphulu. "Come Kuphulu. It's time that we left and return to our home before those fools get through the wall and stop us."

Nodding Kuphulu quickly followed behind just as the crystal wall cracked and broke down thanks to Big Chill's plan to phase into the crystal and freeze it from the inside out. Once it was destroyed the group saw that Transyl had Krystal in his grasp and was followed by Kuphulu and the hypnotized Seraphinians as they boarded the ship and the gangplank was raised. Watching that happen Aphelion quickly darted forward to try and catch up but stopped as he saw that the ship's engines firing up and shielded himself as it went to full power and took off, leaving them in the dust. Looking up once things were clear Aphelion sank to his knees in devastation as he felt his heart break and sink into the depths of his misery. Coming up beside him as he transformed back into his regular self Ben placed his hand on the Vladat's shoulder in comfort. "Don't give up, Aphelion. We'll find a way to stop him and get the princess back before anything truly disastrous happens. I promise."

Looking up at Ben Aphelion gently smiled and gratefully nodded. "Thank you Ben. I appreciate that." Getting to his feet he stared up into the sky a determined look crossed his face as fists clenched and his eyes glowed as brightly as they could. "Come on. Our greatest challenge is still to be faced and we need to be as prepared as possible to take down Transyl and save Anur Seraph before all is truly lost."


End file.
